Capasso, Rodriguez, Ure and Robison were also charged with two counts of violating the public meetings law. Barrett also was charged alone in one count that accuses her of solicitation to violate the Sunshine Law.

The alleged crimes are all second degree misdemeanors. The defendants were not arrested. Rather, each was given a summons to appear for arraignment on Jan. 22 at 9 a.m. before Broward County Court Judge Jill Levy.

Gov. Rick Scott’s press secretary Lauren Schenone said Tuesday evening that Scott was reviewing whether he would suspend Rodriguez, Ure and/or Barrett. The governor has the authority to suspend from office officials charged with felonies, but it was not immediately clear if that power extends to allegations involving misdemeanors related to official acts.

The State Attorney’s Office did not immediately release the indictment, but did issue a press release summarizing events late Tuesday afternoon. An anticipated narrative report was not released.

But attorneys representing the accused and the North Broward Hospital District, including former Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth and former Miami U.S. Attorney Roberto Martinez, issued a statement suggesting that prosecutors have been duped by corrupt or incompetent former Broward Health employees.

“This is the most misguided prosecution we have ever seen,” says the statement. “All the defendants are innocent and will be exonerated at trial.”

Butterworth represents Broward Health, the district’s brand name. Martinez is Barrett’s lawyer. Also signing on to the statement were Capasso’s attorney, Scott Richardson of West Palm Beach attorney and attorney Bruce Lyons, who represents Rodriguez.

The charges all involve the Dec. 1, 2016 firing by the board of former Broward Health CEO Pauline Grant.

According to Count III of the indictment, Barrett solicited Rodriguez, Ure, Robison “and/or” Capasso, “personally or through conduits or intermediaries Jack Selden and/or Richard Westling” to discuss in private meetings, in person and by telephone, allegations of misconduct then being made about Grant “where such defacto meetings were not noticed to the public and therefore not open to the public at all times.”

Selden and Westling are out-of-state attorneys who conducted an “independent” investigation of Grant and advised Broward Health’s board about how it should address the investigation’s findings, which were highly critical of Grant and presaged her dismissal.

Florida Bulldog has reported that both firms, however, have deep ties to Republican Gov. Rick Scott, whose oversight powers at the district include choosing Broward Health’s board of commissioners.

Count I alleges the four commissioners met out of the public eye at the hotel and restaurant to discuss “a reportable event,” that is the report’s findings about Grant that they contended was necessary to report to the Justice Department under the terms of a Corporate Integrity Agreement that was part of a $70 million settlement in August 2015 of a federal whistleblower suit alleging massive healthcare fraud by Broward Health.

County II alleges the four commissioners broke the Sunshine Law at the Dec. 1, 2016 special board meeting by not properly providing the public with advance notice.

Count IV is the conspiracy count involving all five defendants. It alleges that in the weeks before the Dec. 1, 2016 vote, the five conspired to privately discuss the “reportable event” in de facto meetings that were not noticed to the public “and therefore not open to the public at all time.”

#

A.M. story disclosing indictments are likely soon…

By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org

A state grand jury investigation of alleged Sunshine Law violations at taxpayer-supported Broward Health appears to be wrapping up, and sources familiar with what’s happening say one or more indictments are likely.

“I would not be surprised that there’d be an indictment, although there’s no basis for it given the way this matter has been presented to the grand jury by the state attorney’s office,” said Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Bruce Lyons, who represents Broward Health Chairman Rocky Rodriguez.

“It could be one of two things. They could indict [Broward Health general counsel] Lynn Barrett by herself, which I doubt, or they could indict them all.”

Former Miami U.S. Attorney Roberto Martinez represents Barrett. He was out of the country, and a request to discuss the case was referred to attorney Lindsey Friedman, who declined to comment.

Florida Bulldogpreviously reported that Broward’s grand jury began hearing from witnesses Sept. 27 in the wake of allegations that Broward Health’s board violated state law last December when, at a hastily arranged meeting, it voted 4-1 to fire then-CEO Pauline Grant for alleged violations of a federal anti-kickback law.

Commissioners who voted to fire Grant were Chairman Rodriguez, Commissioner Christopher Ure and then-Commissioners Beverly Capasso and Linda Robison. Commissioner Maureen Canada, who has also since departed, voted no.

Broward Health has retained lawyers for Barrett, Rodriguez, Ure, Robison and Capasso, who currently serves as the hospital district’s interim CEO.

“I decided our office should focus on possible Sunshine Law violations and related matters that had come to our attention,” Broward State Attorney Michael Satz told Florida Bulldog in September.

Capasso voted to give herself a job

Those related matters likely include Capasso’s decision last May 8, while still on Broward Health’s board, to vote to give herself the lucrative job of interim CEO. Her salary was later set at $650,000. Minutes of that meeting show that when Capasso’s name was called during the roll call vote she “questioned if she could vote” but was assured by Barrett that she could.

Assistant State Attorney Tim Donnelly is leading the grand jury’s investigation, which is unfolding as a parallel federal grand jury looks at suspicious purchasing practices at Broward Health. Florida Bulldog reported in February 2016 that the federal grand jury had subpoenaed Broward Health records about former procurement officer Brian Bravo and 16 companies, including MedAssets, which was a publicly traded, Georgia-based group purchasing organization.

Attorney Lyons said Broward Health Chairman Rodriguez testified before the grand jury before Thanksgiving “because he had nothing to hide.”

Sources said Ure and Barrett also testified. Ure’s attorney, Bruce Lehr of Miami’s Lehr, Levi & Mendez, declined to comment except to say that his client was “absolutely innocent of any wrongdoing.”

Mark Rankin of the Tampa office of Shutts & Bowen represents Linda Robison, also a Shutts partner, who Gov. Rick Scott replaced with Coral Springs attorney Nancy Gregoire on Dec. 1 Rankin said Robison did not testify before the grand jury, but received receiving an invitation to do so.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong,” Rankin said Monday. “If she is charged with anything, she’s not guilty. She hasn’t committed any crime and always acted in the best interests of the hospital district.”

Capasso’s attorney, Scott Richardson of West Palm Beach, did not respond to a request for comment.

Florida’s Sunshine Law states that all meetings of boards or commissions are “declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times” and that reasonable notice of all meetings must be provided. Criminal violations are a second-degree misdemeanor, and the statute of limitations for such offenses is one year.

Broward Health’s board voted to fire Pauline Grant on Dec. 1, 2016. Attorney Lyons said he’s heard the grand jury voted Nov. 28, 2017 – two days in advance of the statutory deadline – and that prosecutors have deferred an announcement while “in the process of writing a report in addition to the return of the indictments.”

Nevertheless, Lyons expressed confidence that anyone who is charged will ultimately be vindicated.

“I’ve done this a long time. There is no violation of the Sunshine Law, in my opinion,” said Lyons.

Share

Latest comments

MickFlynn/December 15, 2017

As Etta James said, “At Last”. Let’s hope this is the beginning, not the ONLY charges. Dig deeper, where there’s smoke there’s fire. Turn over every rock to look for these rats and their crimes. The hired mouthpieces gave the expected bullshit excuses and platitudes. Blah,Blah,Blah. My client is full of shit, but they’re paying me so here’s this plate of horseshit. I get it. But where’s Dick Scott? I thought the guvna was suppose to suspend these shitbirds? Guess not, to risky for him. Too many bodies buried. AnyHoo, moving forward, guess what Big Bev did.? Ala, the Donald’s tweets, she used the Districts E-Mail to cop a plea. WTF??? Do you honestly believe that any of the 8000 other employees would have that opportunity. Fuck no! Like to see someone get on the Mail to explain their version of a write up or suspension or termination,?? please stop. At every turn this Bitch abuses the rules. She believes she is above the Code of Ethics. She thinks that she is different and better than the peon employees. She makes her own rules because the other rules don’t apply to her. This Whore thinks she’s ABOVE THE LAW. Well the only thing I can say, is the same thing I said about Hillary. “LOCK HER UP”,LOCK HER UP!! Perp walk this shitweasel out the door and out of the District. Fuck her. And the rest of y’all Guilty Dickskins.

/

scared gambler/December 15, 2017

What about the altering of the examination times that is rampant. The ER in order to make it look as if it is more efficient is examining patients before they are even registered. Patients are incorrectly identified
and test results are being recorded on the wrong patients. This is a disaster waiting to happen. The director of patient registration Bethany has been notified but will not get involved. Her son runs our IT dept so she doesn’t want to jeopardize that relationship. I’m embarrassed to tell people I work there..

/

The Voice/December 16, 2017

Representative Clark Reed is absolutely correct and the governor must (not should) must remove these people from office. If it was a staff member in the hospital they would heave been removed from their position from the moment o the summons. Sincerely the hope among many is the sentence will be harsh and the maximum under the law. I did receive a copy of the e mail sent to all staff by Capasso and it was one angry and knee jerk reaction, with no insight into the reason for the Grand Jury investigation or their guilt, not my opinion but that of the jury.
Many want justice to be done
Governor Scott why are they still in office? they now have a criminal record

/

AUSSIE INVESTIGATOR/December 16, 2017

The tax payer is paying for their attorneys, hundreds of thousands that should go to health care Broward County Residents
The tax payer is paying for their 50 K Christmas Bonus YES THEY AWARDED THEMSELVES A LARGE CHRISTMAS BONUS

The rest of the staff have no increase or bonus instead are told it should be based on performance! They will f…. you all over believe me

SO GUILTY ONES GUESS WHAT …YOUR BONUS AND ATTORNEY FEES SHOULD BE PAID BACK< YOUR PERFORMANCE HAS SUCKED AND YOU NEED TO GIVE THIS BACK YOU ALL DO NOT DESERVE IT , lets hope they send you to the big house

I do not work at Broward health BUT I know several who do , they are angry like you do not want to know ANGRY ANGRY ANGRY

/

Humptytrumpty/January 4, 2018

/

/

Florida Bulldog delivers fact-based watchdog reporting as a public service that’s essential to a free and democratic society. We are nonprofit, independent, nonpartisan, experienced. No fake news here.